Cardinals TE John Carlson Announces Retirement From NFL

Urban mentions that this news is surprising given that Carlson was just working with the team on Monday.

“After much thought and consideration, my wife Danielle and I know that this is best decision for us,” Carlson said in a statement. “I was blessed to play seven seasons in the NFL for three tremendous organizations – the Cardinals, Vikings and Seahawks. I will always treasure the experiences and relationships made during that time but I’m also very excited about the next phase of my life and what’s ahead.”

Carlson, 30, is a former second round pick of the Seahawks back in 2008. He spent four years in Seattle before joining the Vikings as an unrestricted free agent in 2012. The Cardinals later signed him to a two-year deal March of last year.

He had one year remaining on his two-year, $4.65 million contract and would have made a base salary of $1 million for the 2015 season.

Over the course of his seven-year NFL career, Carlson caught 210 passes for 2,256 yards receiving and 15 total touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 65 tight end out of 67 qualifying players last year.